Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1887-12-02
CHARLES DICKENS.
He DOES NOT HAVE AS MANY
IMPRESSIONS REGARDING
AMERICA AS HIS
FATHER HAD.

SS" "hiS' 10 SciiittiiutlllH Ill
America is Charles Dickens, Jr.
lie is rather - prolific sl.ark-l,e
has eight children. Only one of
the troupe accompanies him on his
American tour. Mr.. Dickens has
been here several weeks, and to
the writer it occurred that he might
have his own impressions of the
country, that might or might not
agree with those expressed by his
iilustrious sire. So the writer hunt.
eel for Mr.. Dickens and ran him
down in the parlor of an uptown
hotel. He in II wcll-formcd, hearty,
casy-going looking fellow of about
thirty-eight, n good six feet in
height, with that peculiar old.
country tleshiness which is not our
iatncss, n round looking expression
of forehead and head like his faith
er-bnt that is all-merry, I'M
thoughtful, after-dinner looking
eyes that look toward but not ut
you,tho way our men do; IL straight
unnggressivc nose, and sandy
moustache for which his hair is n
darker match.
He has nll the air of n big. pleas.
ant school boy, and that indescrib-
able vascillating quality of man
ncr which leaves you in doubt
whether to expect rebuff or com
pliment in the coming sentence.
Neither disturbs tho even com
plaisance of his discourse, how
ever, and you come away wonder
ing what led you to expect it. His
dressing has the effect of the "bcst
suit OH" of the good school boy at
last day exercises, neither tweed
nor broatlcloth, but an expression
of both, and he acts as though he
longed to put his hands in his
pockets, but knew better than to
be caught ut it. He il master of
school of politencss, particularly
un-American, which makes gal.
lantry and good manners duties
based OH principle, rather than
pleasures called forth by the spc-
cial charms of the particular per-
son on whom they are bestowed.
He does not anticipate mentally,
but follows easily, not ungracciully
and very graciously. Ills obscrv-
alton of people, places and things,
while quite extended, is not mt all
critical. He visits many places
without seeing them, and has no
inducemcnt to lead him to exam
inc closely into details. The prin-
cipal objects Of interest to him
have been hotels, dcpots and his
audiences. If pressed closely as.
to the most needed Improvement
in anything he has seen, he would
say: "Paye the streets of New
York, and seat people comfortably
who travel through them in pub
lie convcyances." Public discom-
fort is keenly felt by foreigners,
while private living is the equal of
anything in the older countries.
Mr.. Dickens thinks that New
York is very much like Paris, and
that Boston has quite an English
air. American hotels he finds ex-
ccedingly well managed, comfort
able, neat, prompt in service and
well furnished, but "Oh, dear me,
no, they can't cook, one of them {!
l don't know what is the matter,
whether it is the cooking or the
seasoning, ,3g the materials, but
nothing tt bright. There's some
thing wrq sith it alI--it's bad,
that's all fsyht can be said.p
Table etiquette, ho finds good, gen
orally, except for the "beastly prac.
tice' of bringing on all kinds of
viands together, or SO nearly so that
"a man sees the next willie eating the
last.' He condemns the indecent
haste with which meals are brought
on and despatched. He regards
meal time as period for leisurely,
pleasant discourse, tasteful sequences
OF physical enjoyment and dainty at
tention to details of taste and refine
r,a,f so1 g.